Selected "players"
"Oh my god—what's going on here!"
"What just happened to me? Why did my boss suddenly try to poison me, but I seem to be alive now..."
"Same here, I was just studying normally, then the teacher suddenly came at me with a knife... I barely managed to fend him off, and then I heard some notification saying I cleared the level, and now I'm suddenly here..."
"Massive crossover? Or some kind of alien game?"
"Damn it, I just finished that damn project yesterday, and Mr. Sima just said he was satisfied, and then some notification about a game starting..."
"Mom, where are you, mom..."
Alger opened his eyes.
All around him were various people shouting, mixed together in a cacophony of languages. He moved slightly and realized he was surrounded by people.
From hearing the notification, being enveloped in white light, he saw an almost endless plaza.
People stood on the plaza just like him, one after another, as far as the eye could see, all sorts of ethnicities. The vast plaza was packed with people, seemingly on the verge of a stampede accident.
As beams of light appeared, individuals emerged on the plaza, gradually filling all the gaps.
...This was the so-called world game initiation ceremony?
So, what he just experienced was indeed a selective beginner's level?
Alger endured the noise in his ears and continued to ponder. Suddenly, at the edge of his vision, he saw a blood-red light.
In the sky above the vast crowd, a snowy-white giant rabbit popped up.
Its nearly three-meter height made the rabbit appear quite grotesque, with its blood-red eyes adding to its eerie demeanor. Its huge limbs hung by its side, and there was a large balance pattern on its chest, seemingly in constant motion.
At the moment of its appearance, he felt an invisible restraint suddenly enveloping him, and the next moment, he found himself unable to move, along with everyone else. Their voices stopped abruptly, as if everyone had been silenced and petrified.
"Hooray! Everyone's here!"
The blood-red, eerie rabbit, its reflection towering like a giant, cast a terrified gaze over everyone.
"I'll count... one, two, three, ten thousand, one million, ten million... one billion! Okay, the numbers are correct!"
It laughed, its cotton candy-like arms spread wide, emitting an immensely joyful shout:
"Welcome, everyone, to our world game!"
Then, a burst of red and blue light illuminated the sky, with fireworks raining down and ribbons showering over the immobilized people.
Most of the gazes were filled with fear, confusion, and dread, all directed towards it.
They were basically living their normal lives before, studying, working... and then suddenly they were pulled into the beginner's level by an unexpected notification, experienced unimaginable clearance processes, and were forcibly transported here.
Facing such a scenario far beyond the human worldview, everyone was engulfed in fear of the unknown.
After all, the scene before them was too bizarre.
Alger collected himself.
It seemed that this rabbit was the organizer of this game... or perhaps, some sort of host?
He wasn't particularly afraid. As a horror game content creator, a connoisseur of macabre games, this event, which far exceeded his daily life, opened a new window for him.
The previous beginner's level was quite interesting. Judging by the system prompts, he had a feeling that the subsequent game worlds of various types would be even more exciting.
"Hello, everyone! Before I introduce everything, let me first introduce myself— you can call me Boss Rabbit! It's an honor for me to serve as the organizer of this game— in your terms, let's call it... GM (Game Master/System)!"
The rabbit spread its arms, wearing a wide smile.
Its voice fluctuated from high to low, giving off an uncomfortable pulsating feeling from all directions.
"Now, it's September 30th, 2020, 3:00 PM. Three hours ago, the personal beginner's level of the world game officially began!"
"The participants are voluntary human species from earth! Congratulations to those selected, you now have the opportunity to change your own destiny! Become participants of the game, travelers traversing various worlds!"
It exclaimed with excitement.
At the same time, screens lit up on the plaza.
—It was the scene from earth. In the lower right corner, there was a time indication, it was exactly three hours ago.
The bustling city, pedestrians walking on the streets, farmers working in the fields... their smooth movements, at the moment the clock pointed to twelve, froze instantly.
Alger saw himself in it, even caught a glimpse of himself leaving the coffee shop.
At the moment he stepped out of the coffee shop, his figure, clothed in a jacket, paused at the doorway.
"The time on earth has been permanently frozen at this moment!"
The rabbit's voice continued, gradually becoming more enthusiastic—
"Ten billion 'selected' human species—"
...
"Welcome, you now have the chance to control your own destiny, and officially enter— the World Game!"
...
"Just now, each player has experienced the individualized trials tailored for different players!" it exclaimed cheerfully.
Alger understood—it seemed that everyone's experiences were different. At the same moment, ten billion players were sent into different instances.
What he faced was just a fabricated instance, where he was the only player. After completing the instance, it ended.
Shen Xue and that Anna... they weren't real people, but rather disguises of familiar figures to test him... He had wondered how Shen Xue could suddenly turn against him; turns out it was fake, part of the game instance.
And the beginner's instances for other people might involve sudden poisoning by bosses, betrayal by loved ones, or facing accidents... such unpredictable attacks.
The rabbit's voice echoed vigorously across the silent plaza.
People of different races and skin colors looked on with confusion and shock in their eyes.
"To balance the game, elderly players have been reverted to their prime! Meanwhile, disabled players have been compensated accordingly!"
"Our game will transport you, the players, into various other game worlds. As long as you complete the assigned tasks, you can earn points that can be exchanged for magical items!"
...Ah.
It was almost what Alger had guessed; there would be more worlds ahead for players to participate in and complete tasks.
So, were these ten billion selected individuals now travelers shuttling between different worlds?
Boss Rabbit's voice continued:
"Moreover, death in the game world does not equate to permanent death!
[Among them, there are 16527 people with A-grade evaluation, 1270 with S-grade evaluation, and 1 with SS-grade evaluation!]
The rabbit's voice was particularly excited, screaming out the numbers.
Alger's heart skipped a beat.
He understood that with the difficulty of the beginner level, he wouldn't have been able to clear it without injury, and it was even more likely that he would have fallen at Emily's initial level.
According to the difficulty with save/load mechanism, he shouldn't have been the first player...
Could it be that this death reloading skill... was unique to him?
People also looked up, their eyes filled with confusion.
"——Now let's welcome the first person to receive an SS-grade evaluation! Let's give a round of applause for their speech!!!"
No one responded.
The rabbit continued to clap enthusiastically, seemingly pleased.
"Boom."
A beam of light shone on Alger, isolating him from all the others.
He looked around in astonishment at the space around him, and in the next moment, he felt himself being pulled up by an invisible force, his figure rising higher and higher, as if drawn by that light —
The Godspace hadn't pushed him to the brink of death. At the moment when everyone's gaze converged, a pure white mask appeared on his face, and his figure became extremely blurry. He wouldn't expose himself in the subsequent tasks.
"Wow, the current first person in Zhaixing seems really remarkable!
——An extraordinary first person! Please give a speech to the remaining players! Don't worry, we're translating in real-time, so there's no language barrier!"
The rabbit handed him the blood-red microphone.
And Alger, looked down.
The endless square, the endless distance, countless people, a dark mass, countless eyes flashing with light, were all related to him at this moment.
The weight of a world, gathered here.
He took the microphone.
"The World Game... the legendary Godspace," he said.
His voice was steady, the sound encrypted, making it impossible to discern his true tone.
"Although... it may seem ridiculous to tie the fate of all humanity to a game's judgment," Alger said. "But victory, or defeat, the path of life... for us, has always been split into a series of crossroads, and at each crossroad, there are only two choices.
Now, all people, are travelers on the giant ship named 'Zhaixing'.
Even when far from home, humans always love their homeland.
Since we can't escape, this space, far beyond our imagination and technological level...
Why not, consider it as our own reality, and strive our best...
——To find that piece of hot soil that belongs to us."
He didn't feel nervous.
As a part-time streamer, giving a public speech was easy for him.
Although this was a public speech in front of billions of humans... he didn't know what he was saying.
But he had a premonition.
... It seems that this appearance in front of all humanity is just the beginning.
As the initial "Strongest Player", possessing the ability to reload upon death, he might be able to go all the way to the end.
Mission drives people through thorns and thistles.
He might also face so many gazes.
"——Well said!"
"Clap clap clap" The rabbit clapped vigorously, the sound particularly loud and crisp in the silent sea of people below, somewhat ridiculous and clear. While clapping, it exaggeratedly nodded in an attempt to show its excitement:
"The first person deserves praise, that's how it should be! Enjoy life, enjoy——the World Game!"
Alger felt himself being lowered, the disguise still present on him, and the people around him looked at him with surprise.
The psychology of alienation always exists among humans.
But if he were to reach a high enough level...
"Today's welcome party——ends here! Oh yeah——!"
"Now, everyone is about to travel together, collectively entering our first world, the end of the world!"
As the light flashed, the red-purple brilliance momentarily dazzled people's eyes. The snow-white rabbit clapped its hands, and the blood-red light scattered, enveloping countless people in an instant —
[——Wish everyone.]
[A happy——game!]
...
A white light flashed, and Alger found himself in a small personal space.
Because of the death reloading skill that he didn't know where it came from, he was now the best-performing player among the billions of Zhaixing players, perhaps helping him to walk better.
For an ordinary college student, he was being praised too highly.
... After a year of the World Game ends, rankings will be based on positions. The higher the points, the greater the weight.
If he maintains such a high position, he will attract more and more attention...
The gazes of billions of people.
The game of higher-dimensional beings, it's truly real and ironic.
The world chat channel was already chaotic, filled with swearing, bewildered remarks flooding the bottom left corner of the chat channel:
[Emily lv1: Is this a joke? Am I still dreaming?]
[John lv1: The first game world is the apocalypse?! Are we supposed to collectively fight zombies? Or face natural disasters like floods and earthquakes? I don't want to die!]
[Sophia lv1: Looking for team friends, long-term companions, add me with code CD8928!]
[Jack lv1: Mom, Mom, can you see me? I'm little Jack! Mom, have you been selected to come in?]
[Ryan lv1: Everyone, don't panic. I've posted notes on the forum about what to pay attention to in the end-of-the-world world, hoping to help fellow players.]
[Alexander lv1: I am a soldier of Longguo. If I encounter fellow citizens in the game instance, I will prioritize the safety of fellow citizens. Please don't be afraid, we will definitely survive!]
[Olivia Filral lv.1: Longguo people are so responsible? In such situations, it's better to think about your own life, don't end up not surviving...]
...
In the open world-class forum, various types of people emerged, with bold speculations about the end times, claims that unbelievers would surely die, calls for fellow citizens to stabilize their emotions and adapt, and even claims that they would dominate the world game and become the top player.
At present, pessimistic remarks were much more profound than optimistic ones.
Pessimistic remarks complained and analyzed the future of humanity, while optimistic remarks were like "everything will pass".
Humans are always good at looking ahead to the future, anticipating tomorrow, and then making the same mistakes again in the era of ups and downs.
Human history is a notebook filled with bad things about human nature. And such a suddenly arriving game may make them realize some new, never-before-thought-of content.
Alger didn't pay too much attention to the forum, but checked his own status, waiting for the start of the end-of-world world.
Finally, the second hand on the crystal ball moved slowly to zero.
[First World: End-of-world world. Global survival game of the same class.]
[Plot hint: "Redemption is born above sacrifice, and in the face of righteousness, people rejoice in the bright future."
"As a girl of original sin, she gave people the most tolerant revenge."]
[There are two clearance routes in this world (peace route, force route) and three different world endings]
[Please grasp every choice, pursue every clue — until you discover the plot secrets hidden behind the end of the world.]
[The end-of-world world will be replicated into fifty thousand identical worlds, with about twenty thousand players in each world!]
[——The world begins!]
A burst of white light flashed, and Alger closed his eyes.
...
[Welcome to the World Game, first level, end-of-world world — after the world starts, you can use points to purchase skills and props]
...
"——Is this a team system? Who are you guys? Are we all players brought in by that damn organizer?" A loud male voice rang out:
"Now we're supposed to survive together, right? Although being an audience means you don't have to take risks, but I don't want to end up with insufficient points and all of humanity being wiped out..."
Alger opened his eyes and heard the faint dripping sound of liquid in his ears.
In his field of vision, there was a green health bar of 500/500 in the upper left corner, a blue mana bar of 140/140, and a barrage interface in the upper right corner, showing the heat, which was still blank at the moment, with all players in the game.
The backpack interface could be opened with telepathy, and the slots inside were still empty.
"Damn it, why were we locked up right from the start?" The big man ran to the iron railing and cursed, gripping the bars.
The current situation was that several people were in a prison-like room, with walls full of lime stains and a smell of blood lingering on the bars.
...No matter how you look at it, it's not a very good start.